


Message for You

by MimiIvory



Series: Nicer Places [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Asriel Dreemurr, Adult Frisk (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Asriel Dreemurr Lives, Alternate Universe - Monsters Weren't Sealed Underground, Frisk (Undertale) Is a Sweetheart, Gen, Mentioned Chara (Undertale), Monsters won the war, Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), POV Asriel Dreemurr, Parent Asgore Dreemurr, Parent Toriel (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader is Asriel, Reader is Chara (Undertale), Reader is Original Character, anti-human discrimination, humans lost the war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimiIvory/pseuds/MimiIvory
Summary: How do the humans handle a world of monsters? (Carefully.)
Relationships: Asriel Dreemurr & Frisk, Chara & Asriel Dreemurr, Original Character & Original Character, Papyrus (Undertale) & Original Character(s), Sans (Undertale) & Original Character(s)
Series: Nicer Places [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156337
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Welcome Up

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Human!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11717874) by [Sweetooze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetooze/pseuds/Sweetooze). 



You are Asriel. Or Tero. But Asriel now.

You have to be Asriel, because you are the son of the king and queen. And the king and queen will decide the fate of your family.

You are not as close to anyone as you were with Chara, but you like Frisk and you will do anything to protect a child. You are more human than monster, you think.

No, these are your parents. They love you. They are the reason the rest of your family is alive.

You have Frisk with you. Not because Frisk is like family to you, although that is true. Because Frisk is the closest thing that the humans have to a leader, other than you.

They watch the children. And the children are life.

You are ferried down with Frisk on board.

(You) “So are you the same River Person as the first time?”

(Bob) “Tra la la. We are many and one.”

You scooch away.

(You) “What was that?”

Frisk smiles, like usual.

(Frisk) “Monster culture, maybe.”

Oh no.

(Frisk) “Don’t worry. You were raised by humans, you’re allowed to be a little strange.

You also have ten souls trying to help you, which is something.

You arrive at the palace. Frisk tries to help you out, but you are too large for them. You have to flutter your wings to stay upright.

(Frisk) “Sorry!”

(You) “It’s fine.”

They’re used to you being slightly smaller.

There are guards flanking the entrance to the palace. You wonder if you knew any of them when you were little.

The door is almost too small for you, but you are used to that. You suppose now, though, people will not spend time carvinging doors larger for you.

You walk into the throne room, and there they are. Mom and Dad.

You saw them before, but it was brief, and through a screen, when the Shell broke, and monsters came to see what happened.

The ones from nearby weren’t too surprised, but the guard a town over nearly hit someone. Probably you.

But you are scary, tall and glowing, lines and wings. They did not dare.

You contacted your family. You told them that you had freed the humans, trapped under the Shell. They cried, and asked why you had to go to the one place they couldn’t find you. And how you survived.

You told them that you were a child, and that humans do not kill children. At least not Below.

They looked at you like you were a stranger.

But they hug you now, and hold you close.

(Mom) “It’s been so long.”

(You) “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

(Dad) “Nothing to be sorry about.”

(You) “I wandered off.”

(Mom) “You did that before. We never stopped you.”

(Frisk) “Wow. The Above must be really safe.”

The hug breaks, so that everyone can turn and look at Frisk.

(Mom) “Asriel, what is this human talking about?”

She doesn’t sound as mad as she can be, but she does not sound happy.

(You) “Uh, there were a lot of hazards. Of course everyone knows to stay out of the Volcano, but the Lake can be deadly if you don’t have someone to pull you up.”

Mom looks at you strangely.

(Mom) “The Volcano?”

Frisk jumps in.

(Frisk) “The place full of fire-water. We dispose of bodies there. And people who hurt children.”

Dad shudders.

(Dad) “Were you aware that there was lava in the Human Mountain?”

The human mountain. Of course.

(Mom) “I suppose we never sent someone to sweep it.”

Frisk cuts in.

(Frisk) “By the way, humans might not like monsters right away. I think that they’ll be careful, but trust is too much to ask at this time. And I might have gotten the story wrong.”

Of course.

(Dad) “Story?”

The story of life.

(Frisk) “How it all happened. It shifts with my memory and the questions, but about how we ended up down there. It is from etching on cave walls and stories, and the only monsters we had were children and Aster, and Aster did not like talking to us.”

Understatement.

(Mom) “That’s where Aster went? Where is he?”

Oh, this is not a fun story.

(You) “He dusted not long after he came down. I was the only monster down there, and I was working.”

Dad looks upset.

(Dad) “How old were you?”

Well.

(You) “I didn’t count Giftdays. Someone probably has them chiseled down, but old enough to go through the Volcano. Two souls.”

Mom looks upset.

(Frisk) “Old enough to have something to do other than huddle and tell stories and chisel. Adult.”

Mom looks confused.

(Mom) “Huddle?”

Oh yeah.

(You) “We huddle for warmth. Winter is freezing, but nowhere else is warm. Except the Volcano. But it’s not safe near there.”

Nevermind when there weren’t enough clothes for everyone. There are now.

(Dad) “And you trust this human?”

Frisk smiles.

(Frisk) “My name is Frisk. Nice to meet you.”

And it’s time to speak.

(You) “Yeah. I trust Frisk. I trust them with the children, I trust them with my life.”

Mom looks concerned.

(Mom) “The humans are more important to you than yourself?”

Of course.

(You) “We would all give our lives for the children. Is that not how it works Above? It’s been a while since I was in the monster culture.”

You hope that they are not all like the River Person.

(Dad) “You are like a human now.”

Yeah.

(You) “Yeah. I met a kid named Chara. They got hurt, but they were a good person. They helped me adjust.”

Life Below was hard, but it was something.

(Frisk) “Asriel is our healer.”

Mom looks angry.

(Mom) “He is not your anything.”

No.

(You) “Mom, Frisk is the person I trust most in this world. I’m basically human at this point.”

Mom sobs.

(You) “No, no. It’s fine. I’m fine. It wasn’t a good place, but I’m fine. I’m out. Everyone’s out.”

Dad hugs you.

(Dad) “You’re with us now. That’s what matters.”

And you aren’t really, but you love them, so that’s something.


	2. Condolences

Your name is Chara, but people call you Rara.

The reason we repeat names is so we do not forget. No one could forget Chara. Everyone says their name. So you decided to take on a nickname.

You like Rara. It is not the name of a soul.

You knock on the door of the house that Frisk told you belonged to the sons of Doctor Aster.

You are met with a short skeleton.

(You) “Hello. Are you the son of Doctor Aster?”

He looks at you strangely.

(???) “yeah. name’s sans.”

Lovely.

(You) “I am Rara. I am here to inform you of the news of your father’s passing.”

His eyes go out.

(Sans) “could ya repeat that?”

You would prefer to wait, but…

(You) “My name is Rara. It is short for Chara. I was sent to inform you of the death of your father. May I come in?”

He looks at you strangely, but his eyes are back.

(Sans) “ya don’t know how to break news gentle, do you?”

Why would I?

(You) “Can we continue this conversation with your brother? I was told that there were two of you, and it will be easier done if I do not have to repeat myself.”

He herds you inside.

(Sans) “pap, we got a visitor.”

You suppose Pap must be his brother.

He comes down the stairs very quickly, and grabs your hand.

(Pap) “HELLO! I AM PAPYRUS. IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU! WHAT IS YOUR NAME, AND WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO VISIT US?”

You slide your hand out of his at the first possible opportunity.

(You) “My name is Rara. I am here to inform you of your father, Doctor Aster’s death. Do either of you have further questions?”

You suppose the cause of death, but that is how it goes.

(Papyrus) “Um, who sent you? I do not believe I have seen you before, and how do you know of our father’s death?”

Well, that is simple enough.

(You) “It was passed down to us, and chiseled in stone. And Frisk sent me, because of Asriel.”

They look confused.

(Sans) “No one from back then is alive?”

Well, yes?

(You) “Only one, and they have other responsibilities. I have none.”

You used to help water the tomatoes at the End, but you weren’t necessary, and death reporting is more so.

(Papyrus) “What kind of monster are you, if you don’t mind me asking? And who is Asriel? I know I’ve heard the name, but…”

You suppose there was no way to know you were human.

(You) “Not a monster. A human. And Asriel is the missing prince. I suppose you might know him as Tero, but he was not well-known.”

It appears that Papyrus does know of him.

(Papyrus) “Ah, yes. I had to judge a guard member for attempting to fight a civilian named Tero. A very large and intimidating civilian, but a civilian nonetheless.”

You do not know what “judge” means, but you think it might be like what happens to adults who hurt children.

(You) “What happened to them?”

Papyrus smiles.

(Papyrus) “He was removed from his job for a month.”

Sounds dangerous to me, but alright. You suppose almost hurting a civilian might warrant some danger, instead of death. Sans looks curious, though.

(Sans) “did ya just say you were human?”

Of course.

(You) “Yes. I suppose the Shell cracking hasn’t been advertised yet?”

He shakes his head at you.

(Sans) “what are the odds that all of the mysteries would be in one mountain? the little prince, the humans, dad.”

One more.

(You) “There’s also a bird girl named Arial. If that is all, I shall take my leave and leave you to your sorrow.”

Papyrus flinches.

(Sans) “that, uh, the human way of telling someone about a death? Pop in, and then leave them be?”

You tilt your head.

(You) “Yes. Get it out of the way, answer questions, leave them to find comfort in their loved ones while the messenger goes back to their job.”

Which you should be doing. Now.

(Papyrus) “Um. How did he die?”

You would have thought it was obvious.

(You) “He dusted. Not long after he fell down.”

Sans looks at you.

(Sans) “fell down?”

Is this a saying?

(You) “Tripped, plunged down in pursuit of scientific discovery. Ended up Below.”

Papyrus looks at you strangely.

(Papyrus) “What about before he dusted?”

Wouldn’t they know?

(You) “Seems like all we got out of him was his name, and leave me alone. Or something along those lines. Accompanied by a push. Nearly got someone in the Lake.”

You don’t know exactly why.

(Sans) “i can understand that. but wasn’t the little prince down there? i would think that he might keep dad alright.”

Pity, that.

(You) “I don’t know what happened there. I suppose Asriel might be able to talk to you, but he’s going to be busy. He was back then, too. Only one who could cross the Shell.”

You are thirsty. Somehow, Papyrus notices. Or it is a distraction.

(Papyrus) “Can I get you anything to drink?”

Sounds great.

(You) “I’ll take water, if you don’t have any blood.”

Sans is looking at you strangely.

(Sans) “Blood?”

Oh yeah.

(You) “Nick your arm, blood comes out.”

He looks more concerned.

(You) “It’s a joke. I am not asking to drink your blood. Or anyone else’s.”

That alleviates the pressure in the room a little.

(Papyrus) “But what is nicking your arm?”

Oh.

(You) “You know, little cut. Blood comes out, wrap it in fabric till Asriel’s done in town, and he’ll fix it up.”

Papyrus looks concerned.

(Papyrus) “Who would do that to you?”

Oh yeah.

(You) “Humans aren’t just hurt by intent. Usually it’s just a kid running too fast, and getting a cut from a sharp rock. No one trying to hurt them, just a little messing around.”

Papyrus looks concerned.

(Papyrus) “And no one stopped them?”

Hey.

(You) “We aren’t just letting children die. Sometimes they just get a little lost. Sometimes they won’t listen. We do our best, but you can’t shield kids from the world. You do your best, but you can’t trade comfort for safety. And they hardly ever get seriously hurt.”

And everyone is staring at you now.

(Papyrus) “Seriously hurt?”

Well…

(You) “Couple of people pass away from injuries. Some drown. I think somebody froze to death, back when we were just down there. I don’t know about the fire-water, but that’s because we’re real careful. We got better at looking after children, after the first time. I was there. Jeremy tore his whole leg up, trying to get out of the Lake.”

Sans’s eyes are dark again.

(Sans) “what happened.”

You certainly didn’t do anything.

(You) “We fished him out, wrapped his leg, and tried to carry him to the Door. So Asriel could heal him first thing. Turns out we weren’t supposed to move an injured person. Got a new story out of it, though.”

They seem to multiply.

(Papyrus) “Story?”

There are so many.

(You) “Well, some of them are songs, or rhymes. But they’re about how to help. Like how to get something out of someone’s chest. How to clean a cut. How to wrap one. There are more, but the ones that serve a purpose are my favorite.”

They both look uncomfortable.

(Sans) “kids have to learn that stuff?”

What else are we supposed to learn?

(You) “Yeah. Adults have jobs to do, and the kids need to learn how to deal with an injury. Frisk is great, but they can’t keep an eye on everyone at once.”

You couldn’t keep an eye on all the children if you tried.”

(Sans) “what happened to his dust?”

Well, you don’t have a note, but the same thing that happens to everyone.

(You) “He got thrown into the Volcano. That’s what we do to dead bodies.”

Papyrus curls in on himself.

(Papyrus) “We spread the dust.”

You wouldn’t have known.

(You) “I suppose that makes sense. Is there somebody I need to get for you, or can I go?”

You’re not going to be able to leave, but you might as well try.

(Sans) “no one else necessary. but one favor. for a later time.”

Fine.

(You) “What is it?”

(Sans) “can you take us down there?”

Well, it is empty now.

(You) “Sure. But I’m going to need a place to sleep. Don’t suppose I could take a rest here?”

The couch looks comfortable.

(Papyrus) “Oh! I completely lost track of time. So, in the morning, then?”

It will get you home quicker, so…

(You) “Sure.”

You curl up on the couch, and wake up before anyone else seems to be around. Strange. 

Well, you suppose that they don’t sleep on the same schedule you do. One person watches the sky for sun, and they wake everyone else up.

Speaking of which, it is not sun up, yet.

You suppose it would be rude to start chiseling at their walls, so you decide to go for a walk.

Once the sun rises, you are up. Papyrus is awake, interestingly.

(Papyrus) “I THOUGHT I WAS THE EARLIEST RISER. THEN AGAIN, YOU DID GO TO SLEEP PRETTY EARLY.”

Yeah.

(You) “Alright, time to head out.”

You go up to the next bedroom.

(You) “Wake up.”

Sans does not comply.

You try being louder.

You shake him. He cracks an eye open.

(Sans) “is too early.”

He closes his eyes.

Okay, there’s no way in heck that you are going to be waiting around for him.

The blanket’s large enough. You wrap him in it, and drag him downstairs.

(Sans) “what the heck.”

Well…

(You) “You’re free to get out anytime. If not, I’m dropping you out of here at the Door.”

Papyrus looks confused.

(Papyrus) “But we’re going on a train?”

Yeah.

(You) “How much fire-water is in your typical train? Although I suppose it wouldn’t kill you. But probably not fun. Also don’t want to have to deal with getting you out of there.”

Or him scraping himself. Or drowning.

(You) “But I can sure as heck get on the train with him in a wrap. Let’s go.”

And you tug him along, until you get to the bus. He gets out.”

(Sans) “geez. you were not kidding.”

He does not start picking the blanket, so you do it yourself.

You get the feeling that you might not be the most normal group that has ever ridden this train, but it gets you where you want to go.

(You) “Anybody have a light? That’s a thing monsters can do, right?”

Magic.

Papyrus conjures up a glowing blue bone. You decide to leave the blanket out here.

(Sans) “nice craftsmanship on the door.”

You suppose so, but it is a place of broken hopes, and mounting suspense so you can’t say it’s your favorite place in the world.

Halfway through, Papyrus spots some blood on a rock.

(Papyrus) “Are you sure that someone did that on accident?”

Almost.

(You) “Well, it’s not out of the question that they did it on purpose, but I doubt it. Why do you ask?”

He looks uncomfortable.

(Papyrus) “It feels… so awful. Like death and murder and… and fresh dust.”

Oh geez.

(You) “That’s probably from the Volcano. Some bad things happened there.”

(Papyrus) “What?”

Well, the bodies. But that’s not it.

(You) “You remember my name is Chara, but I go by Rara. That’s because the first Chara was famous. Friends with Asriel, but it started over there. Used to stay in our zones. No one in Winter, some at the End and Mouth, couple less in the Lake. It takes a lot more energy to move then it does to huddle-”

(Sans) “how were they still alive?”

Simple.

(You) “Staying still doesn't require much energy. And people still went out to get food, they just weren’t moving around a lot. Oh, yeah. We can’t be killed by sadness. Not eating because of it, sure. But not just sadness. Besides, even without people running around, doesn’t mean that there’s not any hope. We have a grand tradition of tales. In any case, the people in the Volcano were… less than friendly. Chara had eyes as red as fresh blood, and they hurt Chara for that. Because they thought that made Chara evil. So when someone came to experiment on the door, they noticed the child, who looked hurt. So they came back, saved the other child, and threw the people who hurt them into the Volcano. Lost a couple of good folks, but this isn’t a fairy tale. No life is lost without consequence.”

Too many died. But they are monsters, and they are made of conviction and hope.

(Sans) “what did my father’s death cost you?”

You thought that would be obvious.

(You) “My labor. I had to come and bring you here. Suspicion. Whatever anti-human speech is out there, having a dead monster on our hands isn’t going to help us. The spirit. No one wanted him dead. But life is death and on it goes.”

Had to come eventually.

You help Papyrus through the Volcano. He gets weaker the closer you get to the center. You are glad you do not have to hold up the weight of all his limbs. You don’t think you could do it if you tried.

It gets better, on the other end of the tunnel. More weight that he can carry.

(You) “We don’t keep track of where the bodies were tossed from, but… This is it.”

You hope that they find what they’re looking for. Sans picks around, but Papyrus just sweeps the area visually.

(Papyrus) “This is a sad place.”

Of course it is.

(You) “It is where we deal with dead bodies. Of course it is sad. And we do not die to sorrow, so it piles up.”

You sit down, and think about tomorrow. That life is over, but the surface is open and there is a lot to explore. You just hope that you can leave this family’s company at some point. They are not fun.


	3. Peace

Your name is Beth.

You were recently selected for a program to integrate humans into monster society.

You don’t think that you are quite the right choice, given how excitable you are, compared to most of the monsters, but hey. If the royals want you out in the world so bad, who are you to complain?

You’ve got some new clothes, some shoes, and a life waiting for you in… Forest Town.

No one else is with you. You like your mom and dad alright, but you were never the closest. You suppose they’ll be time to visit.

In any case, you have two sharp rocks and a long commute, so you will get to chiseling.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apparently chiseling is impolite in crowded spaces.

Lucky for you, the person who told you to stop will listen to you talk for the rest of the ride.

It wasn’t very long, which is why they stuck around. Probably.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are staying with a couple.

You knock on the door. You wait. You sit down.

They eventually get back. Apparently this was not supposed to happen.

They make their apologies, you wave them off.

You eat food that dissolves in your mouth, and pass out on the softest thing you have ever felt.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bed is softer. You can’t believe it.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You get a job in a kitchen. You can’t say you have much experience with this kind of cooking, but you are eager to learn.

Someone else has to magic up the food, though. Which is a thing. 

Whatever. You’re a good cook.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone seems wary of you.

You can’t blame them, but you would never hurt another sentient being.

Living’s another thing, but there were no two ways around it. You are here, so you don’t have to eat anymore living things.

The cook side-eyes you. The patrons are few, but they come back slowly. You are sorry that you drove them off.

The children seem to love you, though. You have a lot of stories.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Someone notices the claw marks on your neck. They ask you how it happened.

You tell them that there was a bat that attacked you.

They ask you what happened to it, with a gleam in their eyes.

You tell them that you killed it and ate it, with a smile so wide, you can almost feel your jaw crack.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apparently that is not how civilized monsters behave.

You clarify, first to a bunch of concerned adults, then to a hoard of eager children, that bats do not think like us, and that you should not kill anyone unless it is the only option.

Well, that clarification is for the kids. For the adults, you tell them that there was not much to eat. Of course there was more than there used to be, but there's only so much sunshine and dirt. You need to supplement your diet with something other than moss, and you prefer that the days of eating bodies are behind you.

You tell them no one was killed to be eaten, but that humans can die of hunger, and some last longer than others.

You clear your throat and look away, and tell them that you are glad you did not have to live through those times.

You killed to take the burden off others, and you do not want to handle bodies. You would if you had to.


End file.
